No Plot, Only Lore

Why do Nazis make the ultimate antagonists for your tabletop campaigns? In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore, Josh and Kris break down the mechanics of using fascist-coded villains to create high-stakes, morally clear, and narratively complex stories without falling into the "both-sides" trap.

We discuss why fascist structures provide perfect hierarchical challenges for players, how to use anti-intellectualism and bureaucratic evil to build tension, and the essential "do’s and don’ts" for maintaining a meaningful narrative. From creating identifiable symbols and scapegoats to portraying joyful resistance, learn how to build villains your players will love...

We’re back with part two of our deep dive into Sumo history! This episode covers the transformation of the sport from the Meiji era to today. We discuss the formalization of the Yokozuna rank, the impact of international wrestlers on Japanese tradition, and the fascinating, messy politics of the JSA. Don’t miss this look at the world’s most intense, high-speed game of chess.

Join Josh and Kris on No Plot, Only Lore as they dive into the surprising world of professional Sumo—a sport Josh argues is the "purest representation" of physical will. This episode explores how Sumo transcends being a mere sport, functioning as a 2,000-year-old Shinto ritual deeply rooted in Japanese history and samurai culture.

We break down the unique "stable" lifestyle where wrestlers live communally under a "stable master" who acts as a father figure. Discover the intricate traditions that define the life of a rikishi, from the ranking of hair stylists and the symbolic cutting of to...

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore, Josh and Kris dive deep into the "gray ooze" currently flooding the internet: Generative AI. What started as a potential tool for busy DMs has quickly spiraled into a self-fulfilling loop of mediocrity that threatens the very heart of collaborative storytelling.

The guys pull no punches as they discuss:

The Honeymoon Phase is Over.

This week, Josh and Kris revisit their stance on Generative AI. While early adoption promised a reduction in cognitive load for DMs, the reality has shifted toward a "net negative" across nearly every metric. From the environmental impact of data centers to the "enshittification" of search results, the hosts break down why the "word guessing machine" is failing the people it promised to help.

Topics covered include:

The Admission: Kris publicly admits Josh was right about the "AI bubble".

The...

In this episode of No Plot Only Lore, Josh and Chris dive into the recent collapse of the Darkest Dungeon board game by Mythic Games. We discuss the $5 million failure, the "wave two" cancellation, and the broader crisis facing tabletop crowdfunding.

Topics covered:

Josh and Kris talk about Kickstarter, the good, the bad, the really bad, and Exploding Minions.

We're back! We're doing audio and video now like a couple-a lunatics! We're doing a deep dive on the open gaming license and its impact on the entire tabletop RPG world, and we're blaming it on Kevin Siembieda! Not really. Maybe a little.

Look, December low-key sucks when it comes to a lot of things, and gaming is no different. But it doesn't have to suck completely! Come hang out with us and we'll talk about it.

This week Josh and Kris take a look at some of the non-Christmas winter traditions around the world and discuss ways that those traditions could be utilized in your own games, as well as starting a conversation about how holidays mark the passing of time for a people.

Josh and Chris for their second annual Holiday Gift Guide dedicated to the coolest tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and accessories for 2023.

Hear their takes on the year's biggest releases and hottest picks, including the tactical giant mech RPG Lancer, the Critical Role-backed Daggerheart, and the OSR darling Mythic Bastion Land.

Plus, get recommendations for:

Hosts Josh and Kris tackle the Attention Economy and its uncomfortable role in the TTRPG space. From recognizing their place as "krill" in the same ecosystem as giants like Critical Role to debating whether the attention economy is "evil," they discuss how DMs can use its tricks—like rewarding quiet moments (the Mrs. Pots dinner scenario)—to keep players engaged and honor their time, without resorting to constant chaos. Plus, a tangent on Telltale's Dispatch and terrible modeling advice from grandmothers.

What is the difference between Goblin Mode and Goblin Core? Dive into the ecology of the internet's most feral archetype. We explore why embracing your inner "cozy swamp creature" is a coping mechanism for millennial burnout and the pressure of perfect adulting.

One Page Rules (OPR) started as a quick, simple alternative to Warhammer 40,000, but now it’s charting its own path with unique lore. The results? A minefield of mixed audience reactions.

In this episode, we dive into the difficulties OPR faces transitioning from a '40k knock-off' to an original game system, and how the inherent differences in audience expectations—especially those conditioned by the constant feedback loop of the internet—make that transition so volatile

Welcome back to No Plot Only Lore! This week, your hosts Josh and Chris dive deep into the most chaotic and complex anime powers to figure out how to import them into your favorite TTRPG (like Dungeons & Dragons). If you love D&D mechanics, worldbuilding, and outlandish character concepts, this episode is for you.

We break down the rules and roleplaying challenges of:

Let’s talk about being cringe! 

Irony is the Armor...

It Belongs in a Museum - The Archeology of Games

Games include several facets. Some of those are physical remnants, evidence of play. Those can and sometimes are treated as objects of discovery. If you've ever started a D&D campaign to discover that it was a continuation of the DM’s campaign world from a decade ago, you've taken part in gaming archeology. If you've ever acquired a second hand board game or found a half-finished character sheet, same deal. 

What does it mean to play in the ruins of someone els...

We was talking clowns and that got me on the ha-has. 

The Party as a Comedy Troupe

Quotes

Time to get real pretentious with it again! Buckle up! Talking about the friction that takes place between a game's mechanics and that game's story, and how that impacts the art of gaming in general.

How do you make sure your players are ready to re-enter reality after the campaign is over?

This week we talk about board games you can play all by your lonesome!

Raising kids is hard. It would be harder with cockatrices and manticores and shit.

Board game expansions - a fun way to spice up your favorite board game, or just a cult of commercial cardboard?

Lost Civilizations

One of my least favorite tropes. 

What is a lost civilization? Not just Atlantis. Think of Eberron's giant ruins of Xen'drik, Skyrim's Dwemer, or Dark Souls' pile of forgotten kingdoms.

Why are they useful in fantasy?

Storytelling functions:

What do survivors remember? Oral traditions? Sacred r...

My big problems:

The Murder Game. Until Tag was introduced, there was never a game where one player had to go out of their way to murder another player in order to win and survive. In every other game, murder was an *option* and the consequence of loss was always death, but it was possible to win without killing a person yourself. The “System” outsourced most of the actual violence. Tag fundamentally changed this and by doing so changed the dynamic and the social contract of the show entirely. There was no longer a plausible separation between winn...

So, we’ve both finally seen all of Squid Game. 

Season 1 was a masterpiece that didn’t need a sequel.

Season 2 started strong, but there was some strange decision-making. Best character in the series was introduced, though (Cho Hyun-ju)

Season 3 undid all of my goodwill for seasons 1 and 2. 

Let’s get into it. 

General Issues:

Repetition

Lack of Innovation, even in the new games

Focus on time between games, but not in like, an interesting way?

More luck, less stra...

In which we put characters from beloved children's stories into stories that uh... Aren't so child-friendly...

How much realism is too much? This week, we discuss the trend of gritty reboots and the concept of "HBO-ification" as seen in shows like The Wheel of Time and Andor. We lay out our dark, grounded plans for classic IPs, including turning Zorro into a Punisher-style vigilante and making Inspector Gadget a violent cyberpunk monster. Join us to find out how to make Narnia and Space Above and Beyond dark, serious television.

Josh and Kris dissect the trend of gritty TV reboots and the "HBOification" of classic IPs. We criticize Amazon's The Wheel of Time for killing wives and ditching character depth (like Perrin's blacksmith/axe dichotomy). Then, we pitch dark, adult TV series for beloved franchises: a post-apocalyptic dragon show based on Reign of Fire, a politically charged modern Zorro fighting ICE, a cyberpunk Inspector Gadget gone mad from his augments, and a Battlestar Galactica-style Space Above and Beyond/Starship Troopers reboot.

Josh and Kris dissect the Chosen One trope in media, from the TTRPG mechanics of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG's Drama Points to the huge distortions in The Wheel of Time's pattern. We dive into the best (and worst) uses of the trope in Star Wars (Was Anakin really the Chosen One?) and Harry Potter (He's just a guy!). Plus, a deep-dive into how Buffy's secondary characters are systemically made essential.

Josh and Kris roll the dice to create bizarre, twisted versions of classic folklore characters! Hear our takes on a "gross" Selkie that violently tears its way out of its seal form, the melancholic, depressed Santa Claus (inspired by Neil Gaiman) who hates his job, a queer-coded, sequined Baba Yaga with chicken-feet leggings, and Anansi the trickster god as a charmingly fat, retired, domestic dad (like a mystical Nobody). Plus, a detour into the real-life history of the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

Josh and Kris talk about their favorite apocalypses, from Fallout-style nuclear war (and the haunting film The Road) to the underrated movie The Book of Eli and terrible ones like Waterworld and After Earth. The conversation shifts to the ultimate TTRPG challenge: finishing a campaign. They discuss why most D&D groups never finish a multi-year story, the shift from collaborative world-building to "being entertained," and the influence of actual-play shows like Critical Role and D20 on modern player expectations and "doing bits."

Josh and Kris dive into the secret to great storytelling: taking absurd concepts seriously. They discuss the silly anime premise of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, the "tits and fight" genre, and how movies like Airbud and the original Star Wars script turned goofy ideas into classics by playing them straight. The segment concludes with advice for D&D DMs on how to ground a ridiculous campaign—like dragon tyrants or a halfling mafia—with genuine emotional resonance and "heart."

TW: SA, bestiality... Yes, really...

Look, this one got away from me for real. I'm an improviser - I'll yes-and anything. But this shit got real weird and stayed in that space for a while. This is the first time I've ever had to put a trigger warning on a podcast episode.

Josh and Kris tackle the viral "100 men vs. 1 gorilla" question by defining the most absurd win condition: achieving sexual dominance over the gorilla. They argue for the terms of the encounter, debating if the fight should allow tools (no!), clothing (minimal!), and whether...

Josh and Kris clash over the "Rule of Cool" in TTRPGs. Josh argues it's a crutch for lazy problem-solving and a logistical nightmare for DMs, leading to player attention-seeking. Kris defends it as a necessary tool to reward player creativity, encourage "big swings," and increase narrative momentum—provided it's negotiated, reserved for unique moments, and tied to real consequences. They debate its history and the problem of canonizing "community stupidity."

Talking about the problem of catching too much loot, or too much of the same loot, or progressing too quickly in RPGs.

Eating monsters! How would you cook them? What would they taste like? Are they dangerous? Poisonous? Does a gorgon have metal blood?

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore, DMs Josh and Kris explore what happens when the dice, the players, or the DM’s own ego send a campaign spiraling into a "table apocalypse." The guys kick things off with a detour into the "bad old days" of Nerdcore hip-hop, debating the flow of MC Frontalot versus rappers who actually know their music theory.

The heart of the episode tackles the moments where games go off the rails:

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore, DMs Josh and Chris dive into the messy, often unpredictable world of player engagement. The conversation starts in a surprisingly morbid place as Josh shares stories about his family’s paramedic background and their unusual desensitization to medical trauma—ranging from "cool" injury photos to eating dinner while watching surgery broadcasts.

Shifting from real-world gore to the gaming table, the guys discuss the challenge of securing and maintaining player buy-in. They explore:

Description

In this special "Too Much Lore" installment of No Plot, Only Lore, Josh and Chris take a thermal detonator to the concept of over-explanation. What starts as a debate over the "Star Wars Canon Reset" quickly turns into a passionate critique of how "lore dumps" can actually kill the imagination of a franchise.

The DMs dive deep into: